Web-towelling washing apparatus



Nov. 20, 1962 R. c. GRIMES 3,064,453

WEB-TOWELLING WASHING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 14, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 AM/EH70? [808E181 C. GAE/mesfla Mag NOV. 20, 1962 c, GRlMEs 3,064,458

WEB-TOWELLING WASHING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 14, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2flwe/vrde @5227 (Z, Games Nov. 20, 1962 R. c. GRIMES WEB-TOWELLINGWASHING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 14, 1959 United StatesPatent M 3,064,458 WEB-TOWELLING WASHING APPARATUS Robert CharlesGrimes, Stratton House, Piccadilly, London W. 1, England Filed Aug. 14,1959, Ser. No. 833,797 Claims priority, application Great Britain Aug.27, 1958 2 Claims. (Cl. 68-22) This invention relates to apparatus forwashing web towelling or other strip material.

Apparatus is well known for dispensing towelling step by step from acontinuous rolled web. As the web is unrolled for use, the soiledportion is rewound on to a take-up roll. The invention is particularly,although not essentially, concerned with the washing of such soiledrolled webs of towelling.

Apparatus for continuously washing web towelling, particularly in ropedform according to the invention comprises means forming a soakingchamber, means to guide the web into said chamber, a frame, a pluralityof vertically alined squeezing rolls mounted in said frame, electricmotors for driving alternate squeezing rolls, a plurality of jockeyrolls disposed on each side of the vertically alined squeezing rolls,those on one side being staggered in relation to those on the other,said squeezing rolls being alined with jockey rolls alternately onopposite sides of the frame, the arrangement of jockey and squeezingrolls forming open runs of the web 'towelling on each side of thesqueezing rolls, the said jockey rolls being carried respectively onpivotal mountings which are loaded by a counterweight so that the jockeyrolls are displaced outwardly away from the squeezing rolls to maintaina required tension in the web, resoaking means disposed on each side ofthe squeezing rolls to apply cleansing fluid to the open runs of the webloops between the jockey rolls and the squeezing rolls, the displacementof the jockey rolls controlling the speed of the electric motors,whereby, varying local tensions in the web cause the appropriate jockeyrolls to be displaced and effect a change of speed in the related motorto compensate for the change of tension and thus tend to maintain anoverall uniform tension throughout the web.

In use a plurality of apparatuses as just described may be arranged endto end with the roll axes of all apparatuses parallel to one anotherwhereby a web issuing from one apparatus is led for continuing treatmentin a juxtaposed apparatus, and in this case means can be employed forpumping the liquid used in each apparatus of the plurality (exceptingthe first) into the re-soaking means of the preceding apparatus.

In order that the said invention may be readily understood, twoembodiments thereof will be described in greater detail with the aid ofthe accompanying drawings wherein: 7

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus (which may constitute oneunit of a plurality) according to one embodiment;

FIGURE 2 is a plan of the sluicing and soaking arrangements, being asection on the line II-II of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a diagram to a reduced scale showing the arrangement of aplurality of apparatuses according to FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of FIG- URE 1 illustrating themounting of the squeezing rolls;

FIGURE 5 is a view showing a guide eye in which the web is convertedfrom its normal flat form into a transversely bundled rope;

FIGURE 6 is a detail showing nozzles for the application of re-soakingliquid to the open run of web from the nip between a pair of squeezingrolls around a jockey roll;

3,064,458 Patented Nov. 20, 1962 FIGURE 7 is a view of the nozzles asseen at rightangles to FIGURE 6;

FIGURES 4, 5, 6 and 7 are drawn to an enlarged scale in relation toFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective sketch of a motor hereinafter referred to.

In both embodiments depicted in (1) FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 to 8 and (2) FIG.3, respectively, on a suitable base 1 there is erected a frameworkincluding four vertical channel irons 2 arranged in pairs with thechannels of one pair facing those of the other pair and serving tosupport an assembly of vertically aligned squeezing rolls 3 resting oneon the other. These rolls may be covered with a rubber or otherresilient lining and, as will be seen in FIGURE 4, they are carried byfixed spindles mounted in bearing in blocks 4 which fit between thepairs of channels 2. Alternate rolls 3 are driven by electric motors 5.

The framework also includes lower strut framesfi, upper horizontalframes 7, upper struts 8 and side sup ports 9. The members 8 and 9support a number of control jockey rolls 10 having their bearings inrespective arms- 19 pivotally mounted on the supports withcounterbalances 11 so that they normally tend to swing outwards. Thejockey rolls 10 on one side of the squeezing rolls 3 are staggered inrelation to the jockey rolls on the other side thereby the squeezingrolls 3 are each aligned with a jockey roll alternately on differentsides.

At the front of the apparatus where the web 12a is introduced forwashing (i.e. on the left-hand side of FIGURES 1 and 3) there is fitteda soaking chamber 13 from which is erected a vertical sluicing chamber14 surmounted by driven draw rollers 15 and containing, at the top, aspray ring 16 which showers washing liquid on to the web descending downthe sluicing chamber 14.

The web 12a, weighted by the washing liquid, descends by gravity intothe soaking chamber 13 and is thoroughly soaked prior to being led tothe nip between the two lower-most squeezing rolls 3.

Although the web may be treated in a flat condition, it is preferred tobunch it together transversely into irregular longitudinal folds, andfor that purpose it is drawn through a ring 17 (FIGURES 3 and 5) so thatit issues in the bunched or rope form shown at 12a in FIGURES 5, 6 and7. For clearn'ess the bunched web 12a is shown as a single line inFIGURES 1 and 3.

The web is led from the nip between the lowermost pair of squeezingrolls 3 around a jockey roll 10 and thence back to the next higher nipmaking, in so doing, a pair of open runs 12b. From this second nip it ispassed around a jockey roll 10 on the other side of the stack ofsqueezing rolls 3, thence back to the next higher nip and so on up tothe topmost nip from which it is delivered around the top roll 3.

On its passage upwards through the assembly of squeezing rolls 3 the webis subjected to a re-soaking step between each squeeze. For this purposethe web, on issuing from a squeezing step between a pair of rollers 3passes between a pair of opposed nozzles 18 (see particularly FIGURES 6and 7) from which more washing liquid is flooded on to the web.

As shown in FIGURE 8, in order to maintain a uniform tension on the webas it runs from bottom to top of the assembly of squeezing rolls 3, thejockey rolls 10, if they move outwards according to slackening oftension on the open runs 12b, through the shaft 20 on'which they aremounted, operate a speed-controlling device e.g., a

variable resistance 21 on the next succeeding motor 5 resistor 21 isshown, and the leads from the second and third resistors are indicatedat 21a.

In certain cases it may be sufiicient to pass the web once through asingle apparatus working alone, but it is preferred to use a pluralityof apparatuses arranged end to end as shown in FIGURE 3. The arrangementis such that the roll axes of all the apparatuses are parallel with oneanother and the web treated in the first apparatus (Le. the one on theleft of FIGURE 3) continues its treatment in the next.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for continuously washing web towelling, particularly inroped form, comprising means forming a soaking chamber, means to guidethe web into said chamber, a frame, a plurality of vertically alinedequeezing rolls mounted in said frame, electric motors for drivingalternate squeezing rolls, a plurality of jockey rolls disposed on eachside of the vertically alined squeezing rolls, those on one side beingstaggered in relation to those on other, said squeezing rolls beingalined with jockey rolls alternately on opposite sides of the frame, thearrangement of jockey and squeezing rolls forming open runs of the webtowelling on each side of the squeezing rolls, the said jockey rollsbeing carried respectively in pivotal mountings which are loaded by acounterweight so that the jockey rolls are displaced outwardly away fromthe squeezing rolls to maintain a required tension in the web, resoakingmeans disposed on each side of the squeezing rollsto apply cleansingfluid to the open runs of the web loops between the jockey rolls and thesqueezing rolls, means responsive to the displacement of the jockeyrolls for controlling the speed of the electric motors, whereby, varyinglocal tensions in the web causes the appropriate jockey rolls to bedisplaced and efiect a change of speed in the related motor tocompensate for the change of I tension and thus tend to maintain anoverall uniform tension throughout the web.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the soaking chamber for theweb has its inlet constituted by a vertical sluicing chamber disposedalongside a series of jockey rolls on one side of the vertical line ofthe squeezing rolls and the means to guide the web into said soakingchamber comprises a pair of draw rollers from which the web hangsvertically down the sluicing chamber and through an array of spraydevices so that it is soakedwith cleansing fluid before it reaches thesoaking chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS324,723 Patrick Aug. 18, 1885 1,626,439 Voegeli Apr. 26, 1927 1,764,631Hubin'ger June 17, 1930 1,820,048 Chase Aug. 25,1931 2,056,141 MyersSept. 29, 1936 2,276,605 Andrews Mar. 17, 1942 2,308,511 Hilliard Jan.19, 1 943 2,552,078 Williams May 8, 1951 2,603,077 Dungler July 15, 19522,700,287 Sulzmann Ian. 25, 1955 2,721,466 Nash Oct. 25, 1955 FOREIGNPATENTS 17,890 Great Britain 1914 554,978 Canada Mar. 25, 1958 820,781France Aug. 9, 1937 931,182 France Sept.- 22, 1.947

